


Bent

by ZsGurl



Series: White Flag [11]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Comfort, Death, F/M, before the 57th
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 10:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27968888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZsGurl/pseuds/ZsGurl
Summary: Angel gets to re-unite with the Special Ops Squad on a mission to prepare for the 57th Expedition. Sometimes, even an experienced veteran has trouble dealing with tragedy.
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: White Flag [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867147
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Bent

The Special Operations Squad was on its way back from the Forest of Giant Trees, their five day scouting mission nearly over. The midsummer weather had been decidedly pleasant. A rainstorm earlier in the week had temporarily broken the sweltering heat and the following days had been pleasant, with a light breeze blowing the clouds across the blue sky. Inside the deep cover of the huge trees, the weather was a bit cooler, the high canopy of leaves blocking the sunlight except for where it sprinkled through the higher branches and dappled on the lower branches and the forest floor far below. The earthy smell of moldering leaves and pine needles filled their noses as they worked in the dim light. 

Their mission in the trees had been increasingly odd for most of the members of the squad. Under Levi’s direction, they seemed to be surveying certain sections inside the Forest. Levi sent them off in pairs to look for areas in the trees that met certain specifications. Different color tags had been used to mark certain trees and they had taken so many measurements, they began to feel like an actual survey team. Several times they had tried to question Levi as to what they were doing, but he ignored them with his usual indifference and unreadable expression. Fortunately, their respect for their captain and his leadership abilities kept them obeying his orders, even when they didn’t know the purpose of their mission. They could all feel that something was brewing in the Corps, and they had faith that their commander and their captain knew what they were doing.

They spent the nights up in the high branches of the large trees, out of the way of any wandering titans. The larger branches were suitable to set up camp, complete with a fire for cooking. Evenings were spent gathered around the cook fire, trading well-worn stories and insults with each other, their familair comradery indicative of their deep connection. Sleep came easy in the sturdy hammocks they carried in their gear, swinging in the gentle breeze of the soft summer nights with occasional glimpses of the stars overhead.

Fortunately, they had only encountered a handful of titans throughout the mission. Most of these had been smaller class titans and easily dispatched. However, on the third day, they happened to get surprised by a larger titan, fifteen-meter class, who had been sitting behind an enormous tree in the dim forest, during one of their measuring expeditions. Caught off guard, they were sloppy to mobilize and eventually bring it down. As a result, Gunter was sporting a nasty gash on his right thigh that had required stitches, due to a bad landing on a rough branch. Levi had berated them the rest of the afternoon and through dinner for that mistake.

In spite of this, Angel was enjoying being reunited with her old squad. Levi had asked Hanje to temporarily loan him Angel, as he needed a medic to replace the loss of Hersh. Of course, Hanje had been unable to resist teasing Levi incessantly about wanting to take Angel just so he could ‘woo her under the stars’ and take ‘romantic walks in the moonlight’ until Levi’s cool indifference slipped slightly at the continued harassment the night before they were scheduled to leave.

_“I don’t need stars and moonlight, Four Eyes, since I make her see god every night,” he calmly stated as he got up from the crowded dinner table and walked out of the mess hall._

_Mike slammed his large fist down on the wooden table, making everyone’s dinnerware jump. “Amen, brother!” he shouted, to the delight and sniggers of those around the table._

_Hanje hooted in laughter, gleeful at getting some kind of response from Levi, for once. All eyes then turned to Angel, eager to see her reaction to Levi’s statement._

_Angel wished her relationship with Levi wasn’t such a topic of speculation. But she understood why. Levi was such an enigma with his indifferent manner and caustic tongue, that people were fascinated by any tiny insight into how their relationship worked. And let’s face it, there wasn’t much in the way of entertainment in their world. So idle speculation and gossip were favorite pastimes, and Levi was high on the list of favorite topics. Not that Angel and Levi gave the hungry gossips much to go on, as they tended to keep most aspects of their relationship private. For the most part, they acted no different than the other veterans did with each other, in public. In fact, many in the new training class had their doubts as to whether or not there was an actual relationship between them. And then an observant cadet would catch a casual gesture between them: a slide of Levi’s hand down Angel’s arm, or his hand touching the small of her back as they walked out of a room together, or her hand settling on his thigh for a moment as she bent down to pick up her dropped fork. Each of these small gestures was carefully recorded in a notebook in the girls’ dormitory and gave rise to endless discussion in the quiet hours after lights out. Then there was the time during one of Hanje’s eternally boring meetings when Levi had placed his arm across the back of Angel’s chair and his fingers had started idly playing with her hair. That had been the high topic of whispered conversation late at night for weeks._

_But as Levi disappeared out the main door of the hall, and Hanje’s overloud laughter drew the eyes of nearly everyone still at dinner, waiting for Angel’s response, Angel just shrugged and nodded, agreeing with Levi’s suggestive comment, as she resumed sipping her tea. He was right, she didn’t need stars or moonlight. He was right about the other part too._

For the moment, Angel was admiring the beautiful weather while she quietly rode beside Eld on the last day as they made their way back to headquarters. For her, it had been an enjoyable mission, as she had been able to reconnect with each of the members of her old squad. She had spent so much time with these people, under such intense training conditions, that she was closer to them than anyone else in the Corps, except maybe Hanje and Erwin. She really missed the special bond this group had and she was sorry she was no longer a regular part of it. Everyone seemed genuinely glad to have her back and they slipped into their old routines and habits as if no time had passed. Of course, there were a couple of notable differences. As she took his place in the formation, the absence of Hersh was a dull ache that settled into the back of their hearts. She missed the quiet man who was always ready to lend a helping hand and a kind word of encouragement. Angel could also tell there was now a difference in her relationship with Petra. In spite of an age difference, they had been good friends back when Angel was a member of the team, but a distance had grown up between them, due to Angel’s relationship with Levi. Petra had always idolized Levi, was undyingly loyal to him, maybe even harbored some affection for the captain, although she would never admit it. Perhaps she was jealous. Whatever it was, Angel mourned the loss of their easy friendship.

They had left the dense forest behind as they headed west toward home. The large majestic trees of the forest gave way to open plains of grass dotted with smaller groves of spindly pine trees. They were all looking forward to being in their own beds tonight, so the horses were given their heads and allowed to move out at higher speeds on the open ground, the steady drumbeat of their hooves a monotonous backdrop to their occasional conversations. The sun was bright in the summer sky and was a welcome sight after the dimness of the forest. Angel glanced up ahead to where Levi rode pointe on their formation. She could tell by the tense line of his body he was on alert, for some reason. She glanced around at her surroundings and didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. But she had learned to never discount Levi’s intuition. It was rarely wrong. She signaled to Eld to keep an eye out. He immediately started scanning the area as well. She took a mental tally as to everyone’s position: Leia on the far right, and Oluo on the far left, Gunter and Petra bringing up the rear, she and Eld just behind Levi.

Suddenly, the lumbering of titan footsteps could be heard over the hoof beats, moments before three large titans emerged from the grove of trees on the right. The giants immediately turned in their direction, rapidly gaining on their small group. Levi gave the order to engage in pairs. He moved to intercept the largest titan with Leia when a fourth titan appeared on their left, crashing through the scene erratically, slamming into one of the other titans, and causing more chaos in an already chaotic battle. Levi swiftly avoided a clumsy swipe from the abnormal titan’s hand by launching immediately from his horse’s back. As he swung out of reach and prepared to alter his course to go after the abnormal, he signaled for Angel to help Leia out. Angel had initially been helping Petra and Gunter with their titan, since Gunter was somewhat handicapped due to his injury. But they seemed to have things under control. Gunter had managed to hamstring the titan from the back of his horse, while Petra was closing in for the final stroke on its nape. However, Leia’s titan was the one that got bumped by the abnormal as it rampaged through the group. While it regained its footing, it seemed to get more aggressive, swiping angrily at Leia as she tried to swing into position to bring it down. 

As she reined her horse toward Leia, Angel heard the discordant sound of ODM wires being torqued, and looked to see Leia’s wires tangled in the titan’s arm and Leia struggling to orient herself so she could detach her hooks.

“Leia!” she screamed as she spurred her horse faster toward the titan who was now reaching for the woman dangling helplessly from its arm. She heard Leia grunt as she was caught in the titan’s meaty fist and she struggled to release her blades in order to defend herself. But Angel could see that it was no use, Leia’s arms were pinned down, her blades useless. Angel’s heart was racing in her chest as she prepared to launch from her horse. Oh gods, she was going to be too late! She wasn’t going to make it as she watched in horror while the titan raised a struggling Leia to its gaping mouth. Leia’s terrified gaze locked with Angel’s as she desperately screamed her name.

Knowing she wasn’t going to be in time to reach the titan’s neck, Angel changed her trajectory to shoot for the hand holding Leia, aiming for the front of the titan instead. Suddenly, she saw a flash of green out of the corner of her eye. Levi! She heard his bellow of rage as he sliced through titan flesh a second too late. Leia’s scream was cut off in a sickening crunch of bone and Angel felt a warm spray of blood across her face.

Stunned, Angel didn’t realize she was still attached to the front of the falling titan until strong arms grabbed her and launched her to safety. Landing on the ground near the fallen titan, Levi harshly shouted her name to get her moving, shaking her roughly. Finally, her instincts and training belatedly kicked in and she surveyed her surroundings, noting the only thing that remained of the attacking titans were steaming carcasses, including the abnormal that Levi had been chasing.

Turning back to face the steaming mass of the titan in front of her, Angel peered through the haze to look into the unseeing eyes of Leia as the intact half of her torso protruded from the titan’s bloodied mouth. As if through a fog, she was dimly aware of the rest of the squad quietly gathering around her. But everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion, as if they were marionettes whose strings had gotten tangled up. She felt as if her head was wrapped in heavy wool, vaguely aware of people talking to her, their lips moving, but unable to hear what they said. She felt water running down her heated cheeks and put her hand up to wipe it away. She glanced down at her shaking hand to note curiously that it was covered with blood. Where did the blood come from? Why was it on her face? As if from a distance, she heard Levi curtly order Leia’s body removed from the titan and prepped to take back to HQ. They needed to get moving immediately before more titans showed up. She covered her face with her bloody hands as she started to hyperventilate, her heart pounding erratically as it tried to get precious oxygen to her starved limbs. What was she supposed to do?

Then a harsh voice pierced the fog of her mind.

“Goddamnit Angel! Look at me! Look at me, now!” Levi was in front of her, his grip painful on her arms as he shook her. “Focus on me,” his voice gentled and she was able to look into his eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that she would follow into hell itself, if necessary.

“Levi?” she whispered. He kept his grip on her arms, holding her gaze.

“We need to go. Now.” The harshness had left his voice, replaced by his customary husky monotone.

Then taking a deep breath, she nodded, closing her eyes tightly for a moment against the pain lancing deep in her chest. Then she opened them to look at Levi and nodded again. Whatever Levi saw in her face convinced him she had herself together again. He nodded in response and touched her bloody cheek briefly before ordering everyone to mount up and head out. Angel noted the large bundle wrapped in a green cloak strapped to Eld’s horse as they spurred their horses into a gallop, heading for the gates, leaving behind steaming carcasses and the warmth of the day as the sun disappeared behind a bank of dark clouds on the horizon. 

Levi walked with his usual precision back to his office. At this time of night, the hallway was nearly deserted and his booted footsteps echoed loudly off the stone floors. The calmness of his footfalls belied the turmoil and rage simmering under his skin, deep in his heart. He desperately needed to find Angel. While her emotional break after Leia’s death was not ungrounded, it was very unusual for Angel, who tended to remain calm under the most harrowing conditions. And Leia’s death was certainly not the first she had encountered up close. Angel had been in the Survey Corps even longer than he had and had more missions under her belt. She was not unused to the death of close comrades. But her reaction to Leia concerned him.

He had not been able to see her since they returned to the fortress. She had slid from her exhausted horse, handed the reins over to the soldier on stable duty, and drifted into the old building alone. Levi had made sure that Leia’s body was properly taken care of, then reported to Erwin the findings and failings of the mission. He had tried sending Eld to find Angel, but Eld had reported back that he had been unsuccessful. Levi was getting worried and he needed to find her. Now.

He forced his tired body to maintain a measured pace back to his office when he wanted nothing more than to race behind his closed door and scream. After what seemed an eternity, he finally pushed open the heavy door to his office and closed it quietly behind him. He leaned against the door, letting his head fall back against the wood as he pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes to blot out the sight of his bloodied squad member. Suddenly he slammed his hands down against the hard wood of the door.

“Fuck!”

Opening his eyes, he noted the darkness of his surroundings. No candles were lit and no fire was blazing in the hearth. There was no moonlight coming in the open window. It was pitch black in his office and the doorway to his private quarters was a gaping black hole, with no light coming beyond. It would appear that Angel wasn’t here. Where was she? Cocking his head in the stillness of the night, he could hear water running, coming from his bedroom. Lighting a single lantern, Levi headed into his bedroom, following the sound of running water. He paused for a moment to take off his boots, then moved through the bedroom into the small washroom. There, he held up the lantern to see Angel sitting fully clothed on the floor of the shower, the running water drenching her shivering form as she frantically tried to wash her reddened hands.

His heart clenched painfully in his chest at her grief. He set the lantern down on the counter, softly illuminating the small space as he walked into the shower and sat down on the floor next to her, feeling the water soak his clothing.

“I can’t get the blood off. It won’t come off!” Angel was frantic, scrubbing at hands already raw and bleeding from her continuous efforts.

Levi reached over and took the soap from her hands, halting her frenzied movements. “Here, let me help,” he softly said to her.

At that, he lathered up the soap and gently washed her hands, carefully soaping up every inch of her reddened skin before intertwining his fingers with hers and firmly enclosing her chilled hands in his own scarred ones.

“Better?”

She wordlessly nodded, then slowly curled into his broad shoulder, her body wracked with sobs. Levi shifted to wrap an arm around her trembling body and held her as the water rained down on them.

Finally, her desperate crying slowed and eventually stopped as the water from the shower grew cold. Angel was shivering from the chill and shock. Levi helped her up, turned off the water, and began to strip off her wet clothes. Once he had her dressed in her warmest pajamas, he led her over to the bed and under the covers. After tucking an extra blanket around her shivering body, he sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the damp hair away from her face. 

“Don’t go,” she whispered with a small hiccup.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered back.

Sometime later, after dousing his lantern, Levi sat on a chair in the darkened room, his shirt hanging open and dripping steadily onto the floor as he leaned his elbows on his knees, watching Angel sleep. One thought continued to run through his tormented brain, over and over. It could have been her. So easily. It hadn’t been a lack of skill on Leia’s part. An unexpected move from the titan caused it to tangle in her wire as she was launching for its nape. A split second and it was over. What if it had been Angel? What would he do if it was Angel’s body lying in the basement, instead of safely here in his bed? He closed his eyes against the pain that erupted in his chest at the thought. It had been a long time since he felt this kind of fear.


End file.
